Martinez Is DANCING WITH THE STARS!

The Season 13 contestants of DANCING WITH THE STARS were announced during last night's BACHELOR PAD on ABC -- and ALL MY CHILDREN's J.R. Martinez (Brot) is one of the celebrities who will be vying for the mirrorball trophy this round!

Martinez follows in the footsteps of AMC castmates Cameron Mathison (Ryan), Susan Lucci (Erica) and Aiden Turner (ex-Aidan), all of whom have appeared on previous seasons of the ABC primetime dance contest. Some of the celebrities Martinez will be competing against include David Arquette, Chaz Bono, Ricki Lake, Kristin Cavallari, Nancy Grace and Carson Kressley.

So how did Martinez make the DANCING cut? "It was two-fold," the show's casting director, Deena Katz, tells Soaps In Depth. "The idea of having a war hero on the show always intrigued me. Right now, the way our country is, you want something you can hope for and someone you can root for. The problem is it's always very difficult to find a person who's a war hero and is also a star. As a fan of AMC and of daytime, I started watching J.R. and I thought he was amazing. I had other people in other seasons and it was as if all the stars aligned and that this was the time to do it. We go on the air the week AMC goes off the air. The timing was perfect."

For his part, Martinez says he's excited to start showing off his fancy footwork... and hopes to, in some way, incorporate a tribute to AMC. "It's definitely something that I've talked about with my partner," he reveals. "I want to pay tribute to the show that gave me a platform for where I am now."

The new season of DANCING WITH THE STARS will premiere with a two-hour live broadcast on Monday, September 19, at 8 p.m. EST.

Keep up with your fave celebs in the pages of ABC Soaps In Depth by subscribing now!